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Ammi majus

Common name:	Bishop's Weed	Family:	Umbelliferae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	17
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The root contains 8-methoxypsoralen, this stimulates the production of pigmentation in skin exposed to ultra-violet light, but it can cause side-effects. Use with caution[160]. Skin contact with the sap is said to cause photo-sensitivity and/or dermatitis in some people[218].
Range:	C. Europe to W. Asia and N. Africa. A casual in Britain[17].
Habitat:	Waste places in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. glaucifolium[G] A. majus var. glaucifolium[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Akkerscherm [E], Ameo Bastardo [E], Ameus [E], Ammi Commun [E], Bishop's Flower [H], Bishopsweed [H], Bullwort [L], False Queen Anne's Lace [H], Ghurair [E], Groot Akkerscherm [D], Grosse Knorpelmohre [E], Khillah [E], Laceflower [H], Large Bullwort [P,B], Rindomolo [E], Toothpick Ammi [L],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe; France; Iraq; Italy; Netherlands; Spain

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.75m by 0.4m . . It is in flower from June to October, and the seeds ripen from July to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Condiment.

Seed - used as a condiment[177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

The seed is contraceptive, diuretic and tonic[238]. An infusion is used to calm the digestive system, whilst it is also used in the treatment of asthma and angina[254]. A decoction of the ground-up seed, eaten after intercourse, appears able to prevent implantation of the fertilized ovum in the uterus[238]. This decoction is also used as a gargle in the treatment of toothache[238].
The seed contains furanocoumarins (including bergapten), which stimulate pigment production in skin that is exposed to bright sunlight[238, 254]. The plant is widely cultivated in India for these furanocoumarins which are used in the treatment of vitiligo (piebald skin) and psoriasis[238, 254].

Other Uses

Weather protection.

The root is chewed to give protection from strong sunlight. It contains 8-methoxypsoralen which stimulates production of pigment in skin exposed to U.V. light. Caution is advised, however, since it can cause side-effects[160]. Other reports suggest that it is the seeds that are used[238, 254].

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position[238], succeeding in ordinary garden soil.
This species is often cultivated for its attractive flowering stems which are often sold in markets[238]. It is cultivated in India as a medicinal herb[238].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ[238].

Scent

Seed: Crushed Dried: The seed is strongly aromatic[254].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[W] Photos (common names, range) from the University of Washington Medicinal Herb Garden.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.